Dear God: Here is a list of
just some of the things I must remember
to be a good Dog:
1. I will not eat the cat's food before he eats
it or after he throws it up.
2. I will not roll on dead seagulls, fish,
crabs, etc., just because I like the way they smell.
3. The Litter Box is not a cookie jar.
4. The sofa is not a 'face towel'.
5. The garbage collector is not stealing our stuff.
6. I will not play tug-of-war with Dad's
underwear when he's on the toilet.
7. Sticking my nose into someone's
crotch is an unacceptable way of saying 'hello'.
8. I don't need to suddenly stand
straight up when I'm under the coffee table.
9. I must shake the rainwater out of my fur before entering the house - not after.

10. I will not come in from outside,
and immediately drag my butt across the carpet.
11. I will not sit in the middle of the living
room, and lick my crotch.
12. The cat is not a 'squeaky toy',
so when I play with him and he makes that noise,
it's usually not a good thing.

Isn't it funny that I post this thread with photos of our dear boy, and we were out this evening when one of our neighbors flags down me and my husband, "please help, this dog keeps following me and my little dog, I don't know what to do"... we called the number on the doggies tag, and they don't want to puppy anymore... so guess who's now a foster Mommy and Daddy to a beautiful Treeing Walker Coonhound? I need to find a home for him... I won't take him to the "pound" ...

isn't this terrible? they just dumped the dog off, when I called the people they out and out told me just keep the dog, we can't keep him. I have him in the finished garage where he's safe, my husband won't go out there, he said, "I don't want to get attched to the dog", he so wants another puppy, buthtis breed is just not a goof fit for us. He got a hold og a no kill shelter that will call us in the morning... I can't sleep ...

Good looking dogs . Huskies , here in Florida Sun is not to good for them . They can't tolerate the heat that well. To this date science can't figure how they pull those sleds all day and not simply collapse.

I volunteer with 2 animal rescue leagues here in Florida. I study the behavior of cats, and foster 3 to 6 every 5 to 8 weeks,. but love dogs to. I could tell you horror stories about how mean people are to the animals that you would not believe. I used to go out on the truck and answer animal cruelity calls but had to stop because I would go off and want to kill one of the owners of the animal . People are sick, and think cats are disposeable they have little respect for dogs to in many cases. The punishments for animal abuse is to lax. . They are a life and should be treated the same as any other living thing. EJB

Chef EdBOver 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...

Chef EdBOver 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...

light read and very funny book is "a dog's purpose" by w. bruce cameron. story is based on the premise that dogs have many lives, many journey's, reborn again and again searching for their 'purpose'...the quest for why are we here question....

joey

how's the soup thing going?

food is like love...it should be entered into with abandon or not at all Harriet Van Horne

light read and very funny book is "a dog's purpose" by w. bruce cameron. story is based on the premise that dogs have many lives, many journey's, reborn again and again searching for their 'purpose'...the quest for why are we here question....

joey

how's the soup thing going?

.. I have this book on my list, I will see if it's available on Amazon for my Kindle... as for the soup business, well, I haven't heard anything more about it, so I think that should I entire the competition, I'll stick with one I know, Portuguese Bean Soup. I so appreciate your offer of your winner soup recipe though...

okay, here's ms. greta...some days she's re greta, and some days she's rin tin tinna, a true mountain girl....that's normally our south deck she's sitting atop of..see the snow in the background..think it was a 7 footer that storm!

joey

food is like love...it should be entered into with abandon or not at all Harriet Van Horne

And on another note, the poor dog that “found us”… we have been fostering him, what a handful, let me tell you… but we found a good home for him and are sure that everyone involved will be happy. This guy was what I remembered having a young dog was all about. And as for my husband, who was been “hounding” me for the past six years to get “another boy”, well, after doggie left and everything was cleaned up and put right, he blurts out, “let seals it, no more dogs for us! They just don’t fit into our lifestyle anymore!” Well, genius, I could have told you that four years ago when we retired and moved!!!

ms.greta is a rez dog shepherd/ a rescue dog ..we found her on the highway by the indian reservation here at 3 months old all full of brambles with burrs stuck in her eyes.. my vet says she thinks she's a purebred shepherd, but i dunno..from the rez, she could be anything..her ears just don't go up, but that's what makes her even more special....i want to get the doggie dna test but scott, my husband says he doesn't want to know..i ask, why not? he doesn't want to think of his big 85 lb girl having chihuahua lineage or something...i say who cares...well, you know men...you can't live with 'em and you can't shoot 'em.. well, maybe in arizona you can since now you can carry an unconcealed weapon wherever you want.. even in bars...yeah,.i always thought that was a good mix..guns and alcohol!!!... i know you know but please tell your husband again that dogs will not only fit into your lifestyle, they will make it inmeasurably better...there are so many many dogs who are being abused both mentally and physically or euthanized.... so many that need and deserve a good loving environment.....it makes me ill, but it makes me mad more!

joey

Edited by durangojo - 9/23/11 at 10:47am

food is like love...it should be entered into with abandon or not at all Harriet Van Horne

For all who are interested . Today there is a DNA test available for canines, and that the results tell you what combo of breeds your dog is .. It cost anywhere from $ 35 to 65 and is available at most no kill shelters and some Vets.

Chef EdBOver 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...

Chef EdBOver 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...

This is a story I wrote last year about a most wonderful dog that I had. Her name is "Abby".

My girl "ABBY"

On July 1, 1998 I got a call from a relatively distraught woman dealing with a dog she claimed to have taken away from an abusive person. She said to me that if I didn't come and pick her up, she would take her to the vet to be put down. Swell. Now see, at the time, and still to today actually, I've got a rescue thing going; "LuckyTown Kennels, Dalmatian Res-Q". The thing was though that I don't go get dogs for res-q, I just find new homes for them to be placed in. This was a real situation for me. Anyway, I go out to meet this lady. It was not all such a nice day, kinda rainy and humid. I sat in a mall parking lot for +/- a half hour listening to the Cubs beat up the Diamondbacks with a nice performance by Kerry Wood; some 13 strike outs. She gets there and I take this dog from her, a skinny, jittery, liver-spot girl. The story was that some miserable bastards drove into this homey neighborhood, let her out of the car and drove away. She was on the street for 2 weeks before being taken by this abusive person for 3 days. I told her that I would do the best I could. We parted company. Three hundred or so yards away I pulled into a “Steak-and-Shake” for a shake and by the time it was in my hand I decided that this dog was going to stay with me. At the time I really didn't know so much why, but that it was going to be. On the way home we stopped at the Vet's for a look-see and shots et al and $110 later I walked into my house with my new dog. Her new name was now "LuckyTown's Res-Q'ed Sweetheart";"Abby", from the word abandoned. I've no idea why, but it was no peaches and cream. This dog didn't show any affection or need for love at all, she was actually kinda cold. I had made up my mind though that we were going to be partners. The drop-off lady called back and I told her the deal and my plans; I would get her an ILP and work obedience and agility. For some out-of-nowhere reason, this goofy broad didn't like that, and wanted her back. I told her to not call me anymore. She goes and contacts the Dal Club and starts to cause trouble. That went nowhere and the problem went away. That weekend we went to a show and this new girl came with. Less than a minute after I got her out no less than 3 top-line breeder friends of mine were on her like a cheap suit to see if she came from their line. I didn't care, she wasn't leaving me. August comes and we start training. OMG. Major League headache. I spent over the next 6 months with 2 of the best trainers in the world twice a week and this dog won't do anything, she wouldn't even look me in the face. WTF am I gonna do? On a beautiful Spring weekend we went to another show (I had 2 other show dogs at the time). I got out of the car and walked around to the back. A witness said she never took her eyes off of me and then went goofy when I was out of her sight. That sure as sure was a new thing. She also decided to unload whatever was in her all over the front of my car, missing my show jacket by millimeters. I guess for whatever odd reason, on that day she decided that she was safe with me, and would get love. Thanks for showing your affection in my messed up car. LOL @ us both. Less than a year later she was a CGC, Therapy Dog, had a CD title (almost getting a "Judy" except for a nasty judge, I'll tell that story some other time), and was a velcro member of my family. She was one of my "test-dogs" for the 4-H club training class (my deaf boy Joey joined her when he came along). She also did a great job helping me to sell dog food. She is such a great dog. Well, one thing I can't do a damned thing about, is that the late Autumn of her years has come. She has been overcome by whatever that neurological thing is that has taken away her control of her hips and back legs. That is the same thing that took away my girl "Madison" a year ago. One day this coming week she will go to the Bridge. She will be sorely missed. You can't beat time or age. Some things just really suck. Please, do me this favor this week. Hold your dogs and have good thoughts. No matter how hard we try, we'll outlive every one of our pets except for our last one. Don't save any love. Use it all up. Thank you all for reading this.

The hot weather is really hard on Keisha, for sure. She loves being outside and some days this past summer she'd ask to go out and then when I opened the door for her she'd look at me with such sad eyes as if to say "really? why?" when she stuck her nose outside. She's really happy now that it's cooled off outside.

Our boy Vito has gone to the bridge as well and there isn't a day that goes by that both of us don't think of him. Ya' know, when our boy passed, that's the only time that I have ever seen my husband cry. We have his ashes in a very beautiful and special Koa Wood box in our family room along with a small porcelain angel to watch over him. (btw, could you tell that's our guy in the photos above)

Joey, I think that the main reason that my husband doesn't want to have another puppy is that he too was so mad and it just broke his heart the way that people think of animals as disposable.

Iceman great story. Unlike humans the love given by a dog or cat is unconditional. It amazes me at the shelter that no matter what condition we get the animals in because of the way people have treated them, that asside for a bit of fear till they get used to you ttey will still wag their tails or purr when you pet or hold them. One shelter I do work for is a no kill the other is the county.

County gets a bad rap that it puts them all down ,. Do not believe this as I see first hand how much money and effort is used to try and get them adopted. If they are brought in beyond help , yes they are humanely euthanized. If this were not done there would be no help or room for the ones that are healthy and who do get adopted. There is no such thing as a no kill as the above applies to all shelters. The people who work there are dedicated , and will do anything they can for the animals. For me it started as a hobby, now it takes a large chunk of my life as well as my wife.

Chef EdBOver 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...

Chef EdBOver 50 years in food service business 35 as Ex Chef. Specializing in Volume upscale Catering both on and off premise .(former Exec. Chef in the largest on premise caterer in US with 17 Million Dollars per year annual volume). Well versed in all facets of Continental Cuisine...

Our boy Vito has gone to the bridge as well and there isn't a day that goes by that both of us don't think of him. Ya' know, when our boy passed, that's the only time that I have ever seen my husband cry. We have his ashes in a very beautiful and special Koa Wood box in our family room along with a small porcelain angel to watch over him. (btw, could you tell that's our guy in the photos above)

Joey, I think that the main reason that my husband doesn't want to have another puppy is that he too was so mad and it just broke his heart the way that people think of animals as disposable.

kgirl,

one thing to think about, which i'm sure you have, but perhaps think of adopting an older dog..maybe not a 7 or 8 year old, but a 4 or 5 year old...consider this...they are house trained and won't eat your socks or slippers or jump up on your counters....everyone wants a cute little puppy with sweet puppy breath and energy, but puppies are a handful and there are so so many juvenile dogs that need a good home too....just food for thought...

joey

food is like love...it should be entered into with abandon or not at all Harriet Van Horne

when i cut fish, i poach up the trimmings and belly meat.....salmon is her favorite....i make 'greta's biscotti' (p'nut butter, honey), so named because my husband ate a whole tin of them thinking they were for him...hmmmmm, thought the little heart and star shapes would have given it away! 'sweet puppy breath bake '(bananas, sweet potatoes, cinnamon..after baked and cooled, i dot with honey) 'frosty paws' for a frozen treat....(yougurt, honey, p'nut butter, bananas)....but her all time favorite, hands down is the chicken liver cake i make for her birthday each year....livers, flour, eggs, cornmeal all into the fp....she lays in front of the oven while it bakes...then another 20 tortuous minutes while it cools. best thing is i can do it in my jammies with a bad hair day and she doesn't care.......bone appetit!

joey

food is like love...it should be entered into with abandon or not at all Harriet Van Horne